Chapter 122 Clio and Patrick's Rupture
Everyone turned around in unison to look at Michael, each with different expressions on their faces.
Amid his shock and anger, Patrick regained some rationality.
"Michael, you've recovered?"
Michael felt nothing but irritation inside.
He admitted he'd been impulsive - revealing his recovery at this moment was really inappropriate.
But since things had come to this, he might as well go all in!
"Father! Seeing Cressida bully Mother, I got so angry that it felt like some fog in my mind was blown away, and I suddenly became clear-headed!"
Clio immediately choked up: "It's truly God's blessing, our ancestors watching over us!"
Cressida's expression remained cold, with what seemed like a mocking smile at the corner of her lips.
"I had no idea I had such healing powers. If I'd known, I would have provoked Michael earlier, and he could have recovered long ago."
"Cressida, how dare you!" Clio shouted angrily. "He's your own brother!"
Michael said: "Does she deserve to be my sister? The injury on my head - she's the one who hit me."
Patrick's expression changed as he looked at Cressida with doubt in his eyes.
Since Michael was no longer pretending to be confused, he needed to shift the focus directly, so Patrick wouldn't have time to worry about Wilder offending Echo, avoiding falling into the trap Cressida had set.
However, Cressida remained calm and simply looked at Patrick.
"Father, do you believe what Michael just said?"
Patrick said nothing, his suspicious gaze sweeping back and forth across the faces of everyone present.
For that brief moment, Patrick had believed what Michael said, but upon careful consideration, the statement seemed very suspicious.
What reason would Cressida have to hurt Michael like that?
Echo timely cried and hugged Patrick's leg: "Mr. Patrick Hamilton, the matter between Ms. Cressida Hamilton and Mr. Michael Hamilton can wait for now, but if you don't clear my name and give me justice, I'd rather die right here - two lives lost!"
Patrick snapped back to attention.
Right! I almost got fooled.
The urgent matter at hand was dealing with this damned Wilder's attempted assault on Echo!
Patrick's stern gaze immediately returned to Wilder, who was kneeling there.
Cressida said at the right moment: "He must have intended to take advantage of Echo. I even suspect he came to the estate with ulterior motives. Father, why not have someone search him and check his belongings - you're bound to find something."
Patrick didn't doubt her and said coldly: "Noah, search him!"
Noah immediately came forward with several servants and quickly stripped off Wilder's robe.
Except for Cressida, the noble ladies present raised their handkerchiefs to cover their eyes.
Wilder covered his arms, trembling while trying to be brave: "How dare The Hamilton Mansion treat me like this! I'm from a distinguished family too - will the Louis family of Imperial City tolerate such disrespect?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Noah found a packet of powder in his sleeve.
"Mr. Hamilton, there's this!"
Cressida said calmly: "Verity knows some medicine - shall we have her take a look?"
Patrick nodded and said roughly: "Quick, see what this filthy thing is!"
Verity stepped forward quickly, took the packet, and just sniffed it from a distance.
Her expression changed dramatically.
"This is so vicious!"
"What is it?" Patrick asked roughly, breathing heavily like a bull, veins bulging on his forehead.
Verity found it hard to say, throwing the packet on the ground: "I find it too shameful to speak of - I'm afraid it would pollute the ears of Mr. Patrick Hamilton and Ms. Cressida Hamilton."
Noah walked to Patrick's side and said a few words in a low voice.
Clio clutched Rose's hand, only hearing Noah mention words like "pleasure boat" and "aphrodisiac."
After listening, Patrick suddenly punched Wilder in the nose - he was furious!
"You bastard, how dare you use such filthy things in my estate? I'll beat you to death!"
He lunged forward, punching and kicking Wilder.
Cressida looked at Clio: "Mother, you should stop Father. Isn't Wilder your distant relative? Are you just going to watch him get beaten to death?"
Clio's eyes trembled with shock. The way she looked at Cressida was so cold.
It was like watching a fire from across the river - Cressida had only gently moved her hand to drag them into the trap she'd laid.
How could Cressida have such deep scheming? Did she want to tear the entire family apart before she'd be satisfied?
Wilder lost a front tooth before he thought to beg for mercy.
He pointed at Rose, his voice broken: "She, she gave me the drug, she put me up to it!"
Rose's face turned pale, and she stiffly moved two steps to stand behind Clio.
Patrick turned around, his eyes like a demon's, looking like he wanted to tear a piece of flesh from Rose.
"It was you - I should have known, of course it was you!" He pointed at Clio and strode over.
Clio was startled by his momentum: "Mr. Hamilton, what are you talking about? I didn't put him up to it!"
Michael also stood in front of Clio: "Father, don't let that bitch Cressida cloud your judgment."
As soon as he finished speaking, Patrick punched him, and Michael fell to the ground, causing Clio to scream.
"Mr. Hamilton, have you gone mad? Michael is your own son!" Clio screamed hoarsely.
But Patrick had already lost his reason to rage.
In his head, all he could hear was Cressida's warning.
On the surface it was to arrange a match for Cressida, but actually it was Clio's scheme - finding a dissolute man to ruin Echo and the child in her belly.
"I should have seen it earlier - Clio, you poisonous woman, with a heart like a snake or scorpion, Wilder is the one you brought to deal with Echo!"
"Deal with Echo?" Clio held Michael, her voice rising: "She's just a lowly maid who seduced her master - would I need to use such tactics?"
Patrick's face was ashen: "You know better than anyone how the fire started at Sable's residence. Using such underhanded methods now isn't surprising!"
Clio's expression changed drastically: "Mr. Hamilton, the fire at Sable's residence - I didn't do it!"
However, it was too late for Clio to say anything now.
The seed of doubt that Cressida had planted in Patrick's heart had finally sprouted, growing into a towering tree between Clio and Patrick, forming an irreparable rift.
Dealing with Patrick's mistresses had always been Clio's method. Clio wouldn't allow mistresses to get pregnant - she worked in secret.
Originally, Patrick was willing to tolerate it for the sake of their shared interests, but now, everything had exploded.
Patrick pointed at Clio: "Clio, I never wanted to marry you in the first place. You schemed viciously, harming Donny by breaking his leg and then encouraging me not to help him. I saw long ago that you were no good."
Clio's eyes widened, her face turning pale, as if she could barely breathe.
Everything she did - wasn't it all for Patrick?
"Should I have just let you go out there? Without me, you would have been the one with broken legs! Oh right, if your legs had been broken back then, His Majesty the King wouldn't have sent you to the military fortress. Without all that, how would you have today's prestige?" Clio went mad with anger, actually mocking him with family secrets.
Clio and Patrick confronted each other, neither giving in, until Patrick finally slapped her across the face.
The blow sent Clio falling to the ground, with Rose and Michael rushing to her side.
"Mother!" Their eyes brimmed with tears as they begged Patrick: "Father, calm down. Is it worth it over a mistress?"
Cressida watched calmly as Clio's nose began to bleed from the blow.
Patrick roared hoarsely, veins bulging.
"I've been too tolerant of Clio, letting her overstep her bounds again and again. Go ask around all of Emerald City - which other lady of the house is like her? Actually giving mistresses sterilization drugs - that alone is enough grounds for me to dissolve our marriage!"
Dissolve the marriage?
Rose and Michael both panicked, and Clio was even more thunderstruck, frozen in place.